Do you know what I really love? Wine.
Do you know what I love even more? Herbal wine!
You can drink it without the guilt. After all, herbal wines have been
used as medicine for thousands of years dating back to the Ancient
Egyptians. Alcohols help to break down the medicinal constituents of
herbs and plants which makes them more bio-available to the body.
If you want to make your own herbal wines then pick up a good bottle
of wine from your local store, gather all the herbs you need, and then
follow the tutorial revealed here…
Herbal wines date back thousands of years. Egyptian wine jars
have been found with residues of herbs and resins. It makes sense, as we
now know that alcohol breaks down the medicinal constituents of plants,
making it more bio-available to the body. That’s why we make alcohol
extracts as herbal tinctures to deliver botanical chemicals to our body.
The famous 12th century German mystic, Hildegard of Bingen, recommended
herbal wines such as lung wort wine for emphysema, honey-parsley wine
for heart pain, and unsweetened lavender wine for congested liver.
Bitters infused in alcohol have been used in Europe
for several hundred years. They usually contain bitter herbs that help
with digestion by stimulating bile juices. Bitters have also been
traditionally added to beer for the same reason. Angostura Bitters are a
famous member of this category and are well-used in hundres of
cocktails for a splash of complexity, and to this day only 5 people in
the world know the well-kept secret of the herbs used in this special
recipe. Though this mixture was hoped to help soldiers in WWI suffering
from severe fevers and digestive disorders, it now serves to enliven
many of our most special happy hour drinks today. Bitters are usually
made with alcohols other than wines, but it might be fun to experiment
with bitter herbs when making a more medicinal wine.
There are lots of super tasty concoctions that can be made in your
own kitchen. I often make herbal simple syrups to add to gin or vodka
drinks for something herbaceous, but it’s really fun to go directly to
the source and create an alcoholic beverage that is lively and complex
all on its own! This is why going the herbal wine route is worthwhile.
Most people can afford a decent white or red wine to start with.
Making Herbal Wines
1. Place Herbs in a bottle (1 oz herbs to 1 pint wine)
2. Pour wine over herbs to fill the bottle (generally a ‘sweeter’ wine w/ about 12% alcohol)
3. Cap tightly and shake well
4. Store in a cool, dark place
5. Shake well every day for 2 weeks
6. Strain herbs.
7. Add sugar or honey to taste (optional), particularly for liqueurs
8. Some liqueurs need maturation time, in which case you might wait a month or more.
NOTE: herbal wines should last about a year. Herbal liqueurs may last longer.
Rose Petal Wine
(Medicinal Uses: for headaches, heart disease, stomach pain & fever)
600 g rose petals (
Rugosa preferred), dried and not sprayed
10 liters combination grape juice and young wine OR all young wine
1. Tie rose petals in a small bag & place in a container with the liquids
2. Infuse in a dark place (covered) for 3 months
3. Filter, pour into a sterilized bottle or jar and store again.
Other sources
http://www.motherearthliving.com/cooking-methods/a-worty-wine-is-a-worthy-wine-basic.aspx
http://mountainroseblog.com/diy-herbal-infused-wines/
http://www.backwoodshome.com/making-delicious-unthinkable-wines/
https://altnature.com/library/herbal.htm